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Mike Isaac
People Power Democracy - Mike Isaac for Congress :''Source: Harvested on May 17, 2006 from isaacforcongress.org/platformbullets EDUCATION Our children’s education is the resource that drives our democracy and will continue to do so into the future. I intend to: * provide incentives for schools that do well * revise requirements for special needs children * streamline the compliance process to deter wasteful spending on beurocratic process and instead divert that spending to our children. More As Americans, we must educate our children well. Our children’s education is the resource that drives our democracy and will continue to do so into the future. Speeches about education always sound good; however, fixing the problem is a lot harder. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is an excellent example. The No Child Left Behind Act was an ambitious, well-intentioned law. Passed in 2002, it required schools to meet standardized testing quotas or face punitive measures from the government, up to and including state takeover. However, this law has had many negative consequences on our children’s education. * NCLB requires 100% of the students to graduate by passing standardized tests, including special needs children. Every single student – from the honor roll student to the special needs child – must pass the exact same test. This goal is unattainable. All children can learn, but not all children learn the same way. * I believe the hidden agenda behind NCLB is to force the public schools into failure and justify privatizing them. Research shows that privatized schools do no better in educating our children than public schools. * NCLB forces teachers to “teach to the test” – teaching students the best way to play the test-taking game instead of teaching them the academic or job skills they need to become America’s future. Two types of children lose out: the child near the bottom with nearly no chance of passing the test, and the gifted child whom the school faces no penalty from neglecting. * NCLB makes no provisions for vocational or science education. Educating Americans to have skills that are superior to others in the world is the solution to outsourcing. What I will do to make a difference: Instead of closing schools that fail to meet NCLB’s vaguely defined requirements, I will provide incentives for schools that do well. I will revise NCLB's requirements that special needs children pass the same standardized tests as everybody else and concentrate on job skills and life skills. I will streamline the NCLB compliance process, so schools can refocus funding and efforts on classrooms. Schools should be paying to educate children, not to please bureaucrats. I will include students who pass vocational education programs in the equation of students who graduate. Schools should be judged by how they improve students’ lives through education. Other the other hand: Mike Doyle voted for No Child Left Behind with no proposed amendments that would truly help our children learn. RIGHT TO CHOOSE I will defend a woman’s right to determine her quality of life by supporting legislation upholding her right to choose and rejecting legislation infringing upon it. More I believe a person's decision to do what they wish with their body is between that person and their Creator. Therefore, I believe strongly in upholding a woman's right to choose. What I will do to make a difference: I will defend a woman’s right to determine her quality of life by supporting legislation upholding her right to choose and rejecting legislation infringing upon it. On the other hand: Mike Doyle shows a strong pro-life voting record, voting consistently to restrict a woman’s options in a time of need. http://www.issues2000.org/PA/Mike_Doyle.htm#Abortion ELECTION REFORM I believe every person should have an equal opportunity to influence the political process. Our political system favors organized lobbying groups, wealthy corporations, and rich individuals. I envision a future in which each person has an equal voice in politics, a world in which the rich, the poor, and the middle-class all wield an equal amount of political clout. I fully support election finance reform. More I believe every person should have an equal opportunity to influence the political process. Unfortunately, our political system currently favors organized lobbying groups, wealthy corporations, and the rich. Elections are no longer won, they are bought. I envision a future in which each person has an equal voice in politics, a world in which the rich, the poor, and the middle-class all wield an equal amount of political clout. What I will do to make a difference: * I will fully support election finance reform. Election finance reform is an essential to making government accountable to all voters, regardless of economic status. Ultimately, public financing of federal elections is the key to taking the dollar out of the ballot box. I envision public financing to mean after a candidate has raised a set number of small donations, they may apply for a grant. After they receive this grant the candidate may not accept any further donations or use their own money. Next, broadcast stations ought to provide free commercial time to candidates, as part of their FCC agreement to provide a public service. * I will make politics more accessible to my constituents by using an interactive website to create a virtual "town hall meeting", allowing people to voice their concerns, be heard, and receive a timely and genuine response and proposal for action rather than another form letter sent out by congressional staffers. * I will make government more accessible to the people it is meant to serve through the Internet and technologies like podcasts - greater access produces greater understanding and appreciation, greater participation and a more educated electorate - something from which we all benefit. On the other hand: Mike Doyle has accepted over 61% of his contributions from Political Action Committees with business interests. Click here for a list of Mike Doyle's campaign contributors, which includes Electric Companies, Oil and Gas and Cable Companies. I pledge never to take a dollar from corporate PACs. ENERGY INDEPENDENCE By providing incentives to the auto industry for producing fuel efficient vehicles, we can reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, help the environment and provide job security for tens of thousands of workers in the U.S. We must also provide substantial tax incentives to home owners who modernize their homes to conserve energy- putting more money in your pocket and less to the gas or electric company. More Though 1 in 10 jobs in the United States are connected to the automobile industry, many of these employees worry about their job security every day. They worry that their job will suffer because their companies aren't building the fuel efficient, state-of-the-art vehicles that consumers demand. I belive we can work with the auto industry to create job security. We can plan incentives for the auto industry to produce exciting, fuel-efficient vehicles. This will increase our energy independence and clean our environment while improving our national security. What I will do to make a difference: * I would strengthen the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards and close the gas guzzler loophole. * I would offer interest free federal loans ear-marked for R & D of "state of the art" vehicles with carbon fiber and lightweight steel body panels. * I would propose an reward (of one billion dollars or more) to the first American Auto manufacturer that produces a vehicle that gets over 60mpg, and a 5 star crash rating, and sells over 100,000 units. On the other hand: Mike Doyle voted NO on increased CAFE Standards, and voted YES to the Bush-Cheney Energy Bill, giving tax breaks to oil and gas companies at a time of record profits. http://www.issues2000.org/PA/Mike_Doyle.htm#Energy_+_Oil Crime and DEATH PENALTY There is no easy solution to crime in America. However capital punishment has no place in our society. There has never been any evidence showing that the death penalty actually deters crime. More There is no easy solution to crime in America. However capital punishment has no place in our society. There has never been any evidence showing that the death penalty actually deters crime. The United States ranks with such nations as Iran, Syria, China, and North Korea as to countries that permit the death penalty. In addition, once someone's life is taken, perhaps unjustly, there is no turning back. In addition the expansion of federal power over the states is no solution to our crime woes. What I would do to make a difference: I would oppose any legislation expanding the use of the Federal Death Penalty and the expansion of the definition of Federal Crimes. I would support legislation to put more police on the streets; walking our neighborhoods and making a difference. On the other hand Mike Doyle voted to expand the powers of the Federal Government by voting for the Federal Anti-Gang act. This would make state crimes Federal Offenses so long as the accused was involved in a "gang". It also allows the execution of 16 and 17 year olds. http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2005/roll168.xml This legislation does nothing to control crime, it would create 24 new federal crimes, resulting in the need for us taxpayers to build more prisons. GUN CONTROL The Constitution of the United States clearly states the "right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." The right of self-defense is the first law of nature. This not withstanding something must be done to reduce the amount of gun violence in our neighborhoods. Criminals ignore gun control laws. Therefore, passing more laws has no effect. More The Constitution of the United States clearly states the "right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." The right of self-defense is the first law of nature. This not withstanding something must be done to reduce the amount of gun violence in our neighborhoods. Passing more laws has no effect. What I would do to make a difference: What will have an effect is revitalizing our neighborhoods and giving our youth hope of a future. As a teacher, I have fought the learned helplessness of our youth. If we, as a nation, want to reduce violence in our streets we must realize there are no quick fixes. To curtail violence we must change the culture of violence so inherent in our neighborhoods. This must be done through programs that improve education, awareness, and build communities to provide hope for the hopeless. On the other hand: Mike Doyle voted for the Federal Anti-Gang act, which is a panacea against gang violence. Most Democrats opposed this bill. In addition his vote against Protection of lawful Commerce in Arms Act, which if it was defeated would make the gun manufacture liable for the crime and not the criminal, is additional evidence of his mentality of quick fixes to a complex issue. NATIONAL DEBT This is the most important problem our nation faces. Because the solution concerns difficulty most politicians will not bring it up because their job is on the line. They are too concerned about reelection, so they are selling our children’s future for their own political gain. The national debt stands at 8.3 trillion dollars. As of March 23, 2006, $8,355,675,719,122 of debt the United States borrows to keep the government afloat. Delay in addressing this problem costs the United States an additional trillion dollars per year. A few weeks ago the Congress agreed to raise the debt ceiling to 9 trillion dollars. Just to get an idea of what a trillion is: To spend $1 trillion in the average American life span of 77 years, you'd have to be on a lifetime spending spree of about $35,580,857 every day from birth. This debt is the single largest threat to our nation’s future. More This is the most important problem our nation faces. Because the solution concerns difficulty most politicians will not bring it up because their job is on the line. They are too concerned about reelection, so they are selling our children’s future for their own political gain. The national debt stands at 8.3 trillion dollars. (As of March 23, 2006, $8,355,675,719,122). Delay in addressing this problem costs the United States an additional trillion dollars per year. A few weeks ago the Congress agreed to raise the debt ceiling to 9 trillion dollars. Just to get an idea of what a trillion is: To spend $1 trillion in the average American life span of 77 years, you'd have to be on a lifetime spending spree of about $35,580,857 every day from birth. This debt is the single largest threat to our nation’s future. America is spending more money than it earns. If something is not done about the debt we will not be able to pay for our sick parents and grandparents, we will not be able to afford to educate our children, and America will not have money to provide for the defense of our nation. It is much easier to spend, and force the pain on future generations, than it is to do something about it now. What I will do to make a difference: I consider myself a deficit hawk. In the spirit of William Proxmire, I will yearly give out Golden Fleece Awards, given to the members of Congress with the most frivolous spending projects. After I am elected, I will call for Congressional hearings of economic experts to explore solutions to the National Debt. They may be painful, just as paying down personal credit card debt, but not doing anything about it now is nothing short of immoral. On the other hand: Mike Doyle has taken no action on the Federal Debt, except to criticize the President's policy. Links * VIPs * Mike Doyle Isaac Isaac